Since SHiFT was established in 2021 Todd has been one of the most influential, energising and forward‑thinking contributors to our shared mission of improving health and safety across the fibre industry. He brings a rare combination of deep technical knowledge, practical operational insight and an unwavering commitment to raising standards, not only within his own organisation but across the entire sector. He encourages all of us to be more ambitious about what we can achieve, and he does so through example, initiative and a genuine desire to deliver meaningful change.
The 2026 SHiFT Conference
On 23rd April 2026, we held our third SHiFT Conference, at the Heart of England Events & Conferencing Centre in Fillongley, Coventry sponsored by ProGARM. Nearly 250 people attended the event, where we had a variety of very interesting and informative presentations.
Morning Session | Afternoon Session
Our exhibitors for the event are listed below.
SHiFT Safety Award Winners
At the conference we presented the SHiFT safety awards to the winners. Our thanks to all of the people who made nominations, the standard was very high making the judging very difficult. The winners of the awards were…
Most Influential In Fibre Health and Safety (Presented by Daniel Gaunt – SHiFT Director)
This award is for the person who has been most influential in terms of improving health and safety standards across the Fibre Industry in 2026.
Winner – Todd Hallam – Gigaclear
Highly Commended – John Evans of Fibrus
As HSEQ Director John has been highly influential in advancing health and safety standards across the fibre industry over the past 12 months. His leadership has driven meaningful improvements not only within Fibrus, but also across its contractor network and the wider industry, positioning him as a recognised and respected voice in fibre health and safety.
Rising Star Award (Presented by Mel Worrall – SHiFT Director)
This award is to commend a person early in their career who has exhibited great energy, drive and dedication to improving safety. A future Fibre Health & Safety leader.
Winner – Peter Marshall – ITS Technology
Completing the NEBOSH whilst supporting SHIFT and carrying out his day job, Peter has helped to create the incident map and work to improve the method of collecting data via apps and websites. An asset to his own organization as well as SHIFT who looks at improving the industry, and not just the organisation in which he works. In the short time he has been at ITS he has totally transformed the quality and safety practices across the business, being an active and key part of the transformation, investigating issues when required, providing thoughtful guidance and instruction to improve the safety of the workforce and to uplift the quality of the network.
Highly Commended – Ryan Doe of Virgin Media O2
Ryan has shown outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing health and safety standards through the creation and implementation of the PUSH Group (Partners United in Safety & Health). He identified a clear opportunity to strengthen collaboration across Virgin Media’s partner network and transformed that vision into reality by establishing PUSH as a structured, purposeful forum aligned to the principles of SHIFT.
Fibre Contractor Safety Culture Award (Presented by Vicky Chadwick – SHiFT Director)
This award is for a contractor who has demonstrated significant commitment towards improving their health and safety culture.
Winner SAS Utilities Ltd – Represented by Scott Marnick
SAS utilities are a small, well managed utility contractor, working for a number of Altnets and Tier 1 contractors in the fibre space. Their company culture is very much focused on their people. They have around 50 engineers and 20 back office staff and deliver largely by direct labour. They take safety seriously. Their engineers are placed at the heart of the business and are trained in their own well equipped on-site training school. They also maintain their own equipment, including vehicles, and their office, yard and warehouse is purpose built, well proportioned and well maintained, setting up the business to operate safely from the start.
Highly Commended – Viberoptix
Viberoptix has undergone a significant transformation in its safety culture, built on a proactive, learning driven, and people focused approach. Their commitment extends across their direct workforce, Tier 1 partners, Tier 2 contractors, and everyone impacted by their operations. Central to this shift is an environment grounded in trust, psychological safety, and a no blame ethos—one where individuals feel empowered to stop work, raise concerns, and contribute meaningfully to safety improvements.
Best Safety Innovation or Project in Fibre Telecoms Award (Presented by Darius Hoare – ProGARM)
This award is for the individual or team that has most challenged the status quo and developed an innovative product or approach that improves health and safety in fibre or delivered a significant project within their organisation which delivers demonstrable safety improvements.
Winner – NETS International – represented by Mian Waqas
In recognition of the development and implementation of a comprehensive, integrated Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality digital platform. This initiative was driven by the need to eliminate fragmented systems and replace them with a single, unified, and robust ecosystem capable of supporting end-to-end safety and compliance management. The result is a powerful SHEQ tool that consolidates more than 16 modules and over 120 advanced features into one seamless platform, designed to strengthen safety culture, improve operational control, and enhance risk management across all levels of the organisation.
Highly Commended – WHP Telecoms
For their development of a map of the existing Openreach network with asbestos duct to ensure the safety and well being of their engineers and ensure the appropriate risk assessments are carried out and method statements produced and that any attending engineers are provided the suitable equipment and PPE.
Gallery
Line up for 2026
Headline
Gold
Exhibitors
